


Somebody to Love

by TheScarletGarden



Series: Drabbles & Short Stories [12]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Basically just Jon being adorable, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Jonerys, Romance, feel good fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 10:51:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19392622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheScarletGarden/pseuds/TheScarletGarden
Summary: The apartment had thick walls, or so the real estate agent had assured him when he had signed the contract. While Jon had never heard a sound from his neighbours so far, that didn't seem to apply to the bathroom wall.





	Somebody to Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aliciutza](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliciutza/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALICE DEAR! ❤❤❤
> 
> You're an amazing cutiebean and finally getting to meet you has been a total highlight of my year so far. I love you so much!
> 
> This fluff is all for you. I hope you will like it! 
> 
> Many thanks to my senpai and saviour LustOnMyFingers for choosing a funny prompt for me from my long list of prompts (you have that list as well, Alice, wanna play a game and find out which one it was? LOL!), betaing and making this beautiful moodboard in record time.

"Come on, Ghost!" Jon called. "Time to go home."

The huge white wolf reluctantly tore his blood red eyes away from the squirrel he had been staring at for the past five minutes, tail wagging, adorably cocking his head to the side.

Jon started to jog in the direction home, whistling at Ghost, and his dog soon followed.

Merely a week had passed since he moved in this neighbourhood after finding what looked like the ideal apartment to him: big, luminous, with a huge terrace and facing a beautiful park where Ghost could run and play. It wasn't too far from his office, as well, and had a relatively cheap rent.

Every day, after he came home from work, Jon took Ghost to a long run in the park, leaving him free to roam and play with the other dogs while he jogged.

It was his favourite part of the day. The endorphins rushing through his body, the sweat breaking on his skin chilled by the slight late afternoon breeze, the beautiful pink and purple hues of the sunset that cast everything in a golden light, the sight of Ghost so happy and playful - everything made him feel good.

When he came home that day, he realized that it was a bit later than usual, for he had lingered at the park to snap pictures of the beautiful scenery and post them to his Instagram. After letting Ghost into the apartment, he drank a huge glass of water and headed to the bathroom, shrugging his workout clothes off and into the laundry basket.

He turned the water on, waiting for it to warm while he opened the music app on his phone. Stepping into the shower to wash the sweat away from his body, he started humming under his breath after a moment, following along with the sound of the music.

It was when _Somebody to Love_ started playing that he broke into a full-on singing session, loudly chanting the verses as he air-guitared the solo. Jon loved to sing in the shower. His siblings had always teased him for it, while his father had always insisted he kept the volume low, and then he lived for a while in an apartment with a flatmate who was utterly annoyed by the noise. Now that he was finally living by himself, though, Jon felt free to indulge in this old habit at the top of his lungs.

No wonder he was thoroughly startled when a female voice started singing back to him.

He snapped his eyes open, shutting his mouth and searching around for the source of the foreign voice. It was most definitely a woman, although he couldn't quite guess her age, and it seemed to come from the other side of his shower wall. He turned off the water, placing his ear against the cold tiles. If he strained, he could hear a shower running on the other side as well, although barely audible beneath the lady's voice.

"Hey!" he heard her loudly calling after a while. "Don't stop, it was good!"

 _Gods_ , Jon chuckled under his breath, embarrassed. The apartment had thick walls, or so the real estate agent had assured him when he had signed the contract. While Jon had never heard a sound from his neighbours so far, that didn't seem to apply to the bathroom wall.

Feeling himself blushing at the thought of being busted by his neighbour, he shyly started singing again, gaining more confidence when she sang back to him until their duet ended on a high, prolonged note and they both laughed loudly.

The woman didn't say anything else to him, and he didn't either, but the following day she sang with him again, and the next one, and the next. They never spoke, apart from some sparse but enthusiastic comments about the quality of their performance or the occasional "I love this song!" that always made him smile. Whoever this woman was, she clearly had a knack for classic rock music, and she had a beautiful voice as well, sweet but strong and confident.

Jon didn't really expect for it to become a routine, but it did. They apparently always showered at the same time – which made him wonder how it was possible that he never met her in the hallway, or in the elevator – and he found that he always looked forward to his showers now, a huge grin spreading on his face every time her voice piped in.

A few rare times she lamented not knowing a specific song, or not remembering the words, and so Jon searched for something they could share, his damp fingers leaving fat drops of water on the screen of his smartphone. One day, he felt bold enough to tease her about it, observing how strange it was, considering that she knew most of his favourite songs.

Jon could hear her indignant scoff even through the wall.

"Maybe _I_ should test _you_ the next time!" she haughtily replied, but he could hear the amusement in her tone.

"That's a good idea!"

From that day on, they started alternating in who chose the music. When she sang a song he didn't know, though, he never said it out loud, too entranced by the sweet sound of her voice, afraid that she would stop if he said something.

Jon was itching to know more about his mysterious singing partner, wanting to ask for her name, what she did for a living, how old she was, wanting to see what she looked like and if she really had as many band t-shirts as he imagined her to. At the same time, he enjoyed their game and felt like making questions would ruin it. She never asked anything of him, and so he kept his curiosity down.

She often praised his singing skills, though, which always made him blush to the root of his hair.

"I'm not that good," he weakly protested one day.

"Stop being bashful!" she laughed from the other side. "You're the best shower duet partner I've ever had!"

He frowned, although his lips turned up in a smile. "Did you have many?" he asked.

"You're the first," she burst out laughing, her mirth so infectious that he found himself chortling as well, a stupid grin spreading on his face.

 _Gods_ , did he like this woman.

 _Wait, where did that come from?_ Jon sobered, stepping out of the shower to wrap himself up in a towel. He didn't know the first thing about her, except that she lived next door and that she had amazing taste in music, a great sense of humour and an addictive laugh. Even so, every day he looked forward to his shower even more than he did his evening jog, and she was the reason for that. _What a weird situation_ , he mused, focusing on his image in the mirror as he trimmed his beard.

When she didn't sing back to him the first time, he wasn't too concerned, only slightly disappointed. _Maybe she stayed late at work today, or maybe she's visiting a friend. Maybe she's out on a date, even._ The thought made him feel jealous, but he shook his head to chase away such irrationality.

It felt strangely lonely to sing and not hear her cheerful voice answer him, but he managed to shove the disappointment deep inside his chest and go on with his life. For two days more only the silence answered to his songs, but then, on the third day, he could hear the faint sound of the water running on the other side of the wall.

The knowledge that a neighbour he never even met was currently taking a shower shouldn't make him so happy and eager, but alas, a great smile broke on his face at the sound. He started thinking about something smart that he could say to tease her now that she was back, but before he could open his mouth a loud sob came from the other side, freezing him into the spot.

He silently walked towards the wall, paying attention not to make any sound that could alert her of his presence, and placed his ear on it. Gods, he felt ridiculous, but the curiosity and concern were far too much not to act like a fool.

It was faint, but his mysterious neighbour was unmistakenly crying in the shower, her breath coming in a loud, erratic pattern as she let out some pitiful sobs.

Jon opened his mouth to say something only to shut it again, helplessly trailing his hand on the tiled wall as if to comfort her, although she obviously couldn't feel his touch. Did she wish to be left alone? Would his presence startle her, make her feel embarrassed, maybe?

Finally deciding for what he believed to be the best course of action, he quietly stepped out of the bathroom, deciding to postpone his shower later in the evening.

It should have ended there, he knew, but Jon couldn't shake the concern out of his heart for the following day. Even when at work, he could only half-heartedly focus on his tasks, often surprising himself daydreaming of the different scenarios that might have led to his neighbour's sadness. Although he had not a clue what she looked like or what she did in her life, although they never really _talked_ , Jon felt some sort of kinship to her, almost like they were friends.

 _She would probably think me a creep_ , he thought with a sigh.

"Is everything alright, Jon?" Gilly's gentle voice startled him.

"Oh... aye, everything's good."

"Doesn't look like it," she teased with a smile. "You should buy yourself a cake. Cakes make everything better."

Jon almost hugged her then, for she had just given him the best idea he could hope for. _Gilly, you fucking genius._

When his shift was finally over, he didn't immediately hurry home, but instead made a detour for the fancy bakery that was a couple of blocks away, and ordered a tray of pastries.

He stared at the different options for a while, trying to guess which flavours she would like the most, but they never discussed food during their unorthodox "conversations". In the end, he decided to get one for each flavour there was. She was bound to find something she will like this way. He watched as the girl behind the counter placed all the different pastries on a small cardboard tray and wrapped it all up in a colourful paper.

Jon paid and walked towards his condo, stopping outside what could only be her door. He lingered for a long while, his gaze darting between the tray of sweets, the doorbell, and his own shoes. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves and hoping she wouldn't think him a creep, he rang.

Nothing could have prepared him for when the door finally swung open a few horribly long moments later. The woman that appeared in front of him, although disheveled and red-eyed and dressed in oversized clothing clearly not meant for going out, was the most beautiful creature Jon ever saw in his life.

A petite woman clad in a shirt worn and too big for her, silky pale hair piled in a messy bun up on her head, and those eyes... they were of the most incredible colour, a purple that reminded him of the sky at dusk, of the periwinkles that grew in the park. Her pink plush lips parted in a surprised gasp, thick brows frowning incredulously.

Jon soon realized that he was staring like an idiot, and forced himself to clear his throat. _Speak, you big oaf._

She was faster than him, though. "Can I help you?" she asked. He wanted to smooth the frown in between her eyebrows with his fingers.

"I- hi. I'm Jon," he started, fumbling with the pastries' package, feeling a fierce blush taking hold of his cheeks. "I mean- your neighbour. You know, the one that sings in the shower."

Her eyes widened in recognition. "Hi, Jon," she said. "Look, I don't want to sound rude, but it's not really a great moment and-"

"I know, that's why I'm here." He dangled the package in front of her, eager to explain before she could ask him to go. "I mean- I'm not a stalker, believe me, I just-" he sighed, steadying his fumbling speech. "It's just that I couldn't help but notice your absence in the past two days, and well... I thought I heard you crying yesterday." He could see a slight scowl starting to form on her face, so he hurried the next part, looking right into those mesmerizing eyes.

"I don't know what would make you cry, but today a wise coworker said that cakes make everything better, but I don't know what you like, so... I picked pastries instead, one of each kind." Jon offered the bright package to her, praying the gods old and new that she would accept it. He hoped that it would make her a little less sad.

The woman's eyes fell on the coloured paper, her gaze softening, posture relaxing. She darted her eyes back at him, still a little bit of uncertainty into them. "For me?"

"Aye."

"You shouldn't have, it's not like... like we ever really talked."

Jon closed his eyes in resignation, now feeling like a proper idiot. "I know, I... I'm sorry, I overstepped." He silently turned to go deal with his embarrassment in the privacy of his own apartment, when a soft hand posed on his forearm. "Wait! I didn't mean... I didn't mean it like that. I was just surprised."

Jon turned to look at her again, the sight of her beauty taking the breath out of his lungs once more. "It's a nice gesture... Jon, right?" He nodded. "I'm Daenerys," she added.

"Daenerys... it's a beautiful name." Jon could swear he could see her blushing. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but... why are you sad, Daenerys?"

"I caught my boyfriend cheating on me."

"Ouch," he grimaced. "That really sucks. What an idiot."

"He is," she shyly laughed. "He's always been an idiot, now that I look back at it. Not even worth crying over, but-"

"But still, you can't help the sadness." She nodded, gaze cast down. "Do you miss him?"

"No, not really. I'm just so... mad and bitter that he treated me so. I think I mostly have angry tears left, by now."

"It's normal. The sadness and the anger, I mean. You definitely deserve better."

A charming half-laugh left her lips again, although he didn't quite like the self-deprecating tone underneath. "How do you know?"

"I don't know you well, it's true. But I know you have good taste in music, a beautiful voice and a great sense of humour. You're always so cheerful and have this... this smile in your voice every time you sing. And, well, I didn't know it before today, but you're absolutely stunning. Only an idiot would cheat on all of this."

For a quiet, long moment, Daenerys' expression remained indecipherable, but then a smile slowly spread on her face, little alluring dimples appearing on her cheeks. _Gods, she's breathtaking_. Was he staring like a half-wit again?

"Are you hitting on me, Jon?" she smirked, the sight so charming he had to smile in return.

"I swear I didn't ring your doorbell with that intention, Daenerys," he started, a sudden surge of boldness making him step closer to the door. To her. "But I like to think I'm not an idiot."

She was trying to fight a smile, Jon could see, but without much success.

"Well," she began, licking her lips. "Since you were so nice to buy pastries for the sad girl next door... you might as well come in and help me finish them, right?"

"With pleasure. I was just thinking about how much I would like to eat something sweet."

Daenerys laughed, stepping to the side so that he could walk into her apartment, and so he did, closing the door behind him, the smile never leaving his face.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Don't be a stranger, leave a comment! ;)


End file.
